Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 10
It seems like he’s someone of considerable status, Nancy thought to herself. The way he expressed gratitude for her kindness was something she would never have said. It was like the speech of a well-educated young lord.
In Verus, there were many knight orders that accepted young men from good families. This man was probably from one of them.
As she speculated, Nancy handed him a clean towel and placed a chair near the fireplace so he could dry off. There was also a soft blanket, but since there was only one, it was hers.
“What brings you to the smithy?”
Nancy asked, and the silent knight quietly unwrapped something that he had carefully covered with cloth. Inside was a broken sword.
“It’s completely snapped in half.”
Old Man Rivel would probably grumble about another repair job that wouldn’t make much money.
Nancy could almost hear his complaints already.
“At that point, wouldn’t it be better to buy a new sword? Old Man Rivel is thorough, so it might take some time, but his prices are fair.”
Nancy decided to speak on Rivel’s behalf, trying to avoid any unnecessary complaints.
“It looks like this sword has been with you for a long time.”
The man replied in a somber tone,
“It was my grandfather’s.”
Nancy realized her mistake but tried to continue the conversation smoothly.
“Then you’ve come to the right place! There’s no one better than Old Man Rivel in Verus for repairing a broken sword.”
She tried to comfort him, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Though she couldn’t see his face, the way he hung his head low showed just how deeply he was troubled.
This is uncomfortable. It’s my shop, but I feel so awkward.
Nancy regretted being kind to him. If she had pretended not to notice, she could have been comfortably dozing by the fire by now. Her morality wasn’t increasing anymore, and pretending to be kind was…
She sighed inwardly, searching for a way to break the heavy silence.
“Are you also planning to compete in the Hero’s Festival?”
“…Would it be alright for me to compete?”
His question made Nancy pause as she was about to pour tea from the kettle. She glanced at him.
‘A broken sword is like a broken heart.’
She remembered Old Man Rivel saying that, trying to sound wise. When Nancy mocked him, saying it was an old-fashioned remark, he grumbled that young people like her wouldn’t understand.
She had once thought it was strange to agree with someone like him, but now it seemed this armored man might just get along with him.
It looked like the broken sword had also broken his spirit.
Now, this is a proper customer.
Nancy nodded and gave a half-hearted response to his serious question.
“If you want to compete, then go ahead. Who’s going to stop you if you want to try?”
“My comrades said it would be a waste of time…”
“Who cares what they think! Even if it’s a waste of time, it’s your time to waste. What’s it to them?”
Nancy told him not to worry about such comments and brought him a cup of warm tea.
The man accepted the tea, stared into it silently, and then let out a deep sigh.
“Maybe they’re right. Perhaps I’m too arrogant to even deserve the chance to compete…”
Nancy had been about to blow on her tea but stopped. Old Man Rivel would also get quite gloomy after a big fight with his wife, and this man reminded her of him.
It’s starting to feel like they’d really get along well.
Nancy tried to change the subject to lighten the mood.
“What happened to the sword?”
“I was dueling with Leo… and I was utterly defeated.”
Nancy realized she had made a poor choice of topic. She should have known better than to ask about something that had clearly broken his spirit.
“I never expected to lose. I thought I knew his abilities, but for some reason, I just couldn’t defeat him. Was I wrong? Am I not as strong as I believed?”
The loss had clearly shaken him, and he murmured as if in a daze. Then, suddenly, he looked up and asked Nancy,
“What do you think? Was I too arrogant to see Leo’s true strength?”
Nancy scratched her head. How was she supposed to know something like that?
“I don’t know who this Leo is, so it’s hard for me to say.”
She tried to dodge the question, but the man seemed surprised.
“You don’t know Leo? Sir Leo?”
If she were honest, Nancy had heard of a man named ‘Leo’ before. As the Hero’s Festival approached, people eagerly speculated about who would become the next hero, and his name often came up.
“They say he’s the one most likely to become the hero. He’s very popular among his comrades and the citizens… You’re the first person I’ve met who doesn’t know him.”
He seemed incredulous that Nancy didn’t know such a famous figure. He kept asking if she really didn’t know who Leo was.
